Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 59, 2012

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Theme: Guthrum and the "great army"

Theme: Benedict Coffin, 'The victories which created the Danelaw - Guthrum and the Great Army (AD 866-878)'.

The Vikings are a real gift to early medieval wargamers, giving a perfect excuse to fight against more or less every contemporary opponent, from Ireland to Iberia and from Scotland to Byzantium. However, they tend to be a bit anonymous. After all, the written sources come from more ‘civilized’ countries who suffered the depredations of what seemed to be interchangeable bands of heathens and pirates. It’s all the more interesting to trace the exploits of one such force and see the late ninth century through Viking eyes.

Theme: Benedict Coffin, 'The Siege of York, AD 867 - The walls of Eoforwic'.

The Northumbrian armies have forced a breach in York’s Roman defenses. The battle begins as the English armies commence their final assault!

Theme: Benedict Coffin, 'Alfred stands alone against the Great Army - The assault on Wessex'.

The remaining part of the Great Army seemed determined to break Wessex as it had broken Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia. They avoided active conflict for two seasons, making use of existing fortresses and rapid relocations to tie up the West Saxon army – no doubt plundering and destroying along the way.

Theme: Thomas Webster-Deakin, 'Making a saga into an epic! - SAGA Campaigns'.

The recently released SAGA rule set from Gripping Beast/Studio Tomahawk seems to have caused quite a stir in wargaming circles, with Viking, Norman, Welsh and Sax… errr… Anglo-Danish warbands springing up everywhere, from gaming clubs to the blogosphere.

Theme: Mark Backhouse, 'To loot or not to loot? - Plunder and Pillage'.

When a mass grave was found in 2010 in Dorset, England, there was a great deal of speculation about whose bodies were interred there. The grave was located on a hillside within view of the town of Weymouth, and it contained the bodies of 51 decapitated males.

Theme: Guy Bowers, 'Danes for your games! Assembling the Great Army'.

Only the most ambitious Dane warlord or Viking adventurer would consider taking on Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex with their Great Army. So which models to choose for the Viking host? And which will the Saxon defender choose to defend the last kingdom?

On the cover: Dave Woodward, 'The key to a striking diorama - Faces, Bases and Flags'.

When Guy asked me to provide a vignette for the cover of the magazine, I jumped in without a single thought as to what I would paint. I’d been inspired by previous covers, notably the American Civil War vignette by Dave Imrie from WS&S 56. I thought Dave had really brought the  gures to life.

Features

Column: Rick Priestley, 'This Gaming Life - A question of ground scales …'.

“Missed … missed!” we cry, as the die tumbles to a disappointing one and the pistol shot  ies
wide of the mark. “It’s impossible to miss at that range … I could just about punch him from
here!” Our combatants stand an inch apart, resolutely exchanging pot shots with neither
showing any immediate signs of endangering the health of the other.

Interview: Guy Bowers, 'The Fog of Napoleonic Warfare - Field of Glory Napoleon'.

WS&S had the chance to catch up with the team behind Field of Glory Napoleon, the new game from Slitherine, published by Osprey. This is what they had to say:

Feature: Eoghan Kelly, 'England trumped without Tromp - De Ruyter at Plymouth, 16 august 1652'.

In 1652, the First Anglo-Dutch War erupted. This conflict was fought almost exclusively at sea, and was born out of the escalating trade wars between the two neighbouring maritime powers. Early in the conflict, Admiral Robert Blake led the bulk of the English navy to the Caribbean, with the most senior of Dutch Commanders, Admiral Maarten Tromp, in hot pursuit..

Hobby: Bernhard Isopp, 'The Emperor’s German Legion - La Légion Hanovrienne'.

In 1803, the Electorate of Hanover was occupied by France after the Convention of Artlenburg. The Hanoverian army was dissolved, and many o cers and soldiers of Hanover emigrated to England, where they were incorporated into the newly formed King’s German Legion. However, it is an interesting fact that the French recruited their own Hanoverian Legion.

Feature: George Moratis, 'Pyrrhus versus the Lacedaemonians - The Eagle attacks Sparta'

Pyrrhus returned home to Epirus in 274 BC, his co ers depleted but his standing amongst the soldiers of Macedonia still
largely intact. To restore his  nances, he hit upon the idea of a raid against Antigonos Gonatas (the latest to pass through the revolving door of Macedonian kings). However, things turned out better than he hoped.

Play test: Guy Bowers, 'An evolution of WAB, not ‘ersatz’ - Let’s play War and Conquest'.

With the plethora of games recently released for the ancient period, War & Conquest is a latecomer to the racetrack, but will it be the tortoise against everyone else’s hare?

Hobby: Dr. Phil Hendry, 'Cheating or a ‘proper’ paint job? - The Demon Dip!'.

Having shown us how to apply it previously (see issue 57), Phil Hendry shares his feelings about The Dip, a.k.a. The Army Painter’s Quickshade, and discusses the controversies that seem to surround it. Whether it’s applied by dunking the figure in head first or painted on with a wide,  at brush, this polyurethane woodstain or varnish ‘gets people going’.

Play test: Guy Bowers, 'Skirmishing modern warfare? - Let’s play Point Blank'.

The nuances of modern warfare are particularly di cult to bring to the tabletop. Many have tried and failed. So how does Point Blank stack up? Read on and see.

Review: Guy Bowers, 'Upgrades for the second edition of Ancient Battles (WAB 2). - Armies of Antiquity'.

We take a look at the latest army list book released for WAB 2. Is it worth the money?

Review: Mark Backhouse, 'Fast Play wargames rules for the Western Front 1916-18 - Where the poppies grow - Crush the Kaiser'.

Where the poppies grow is a set of wargames rules covering trench warfare battles from the Great War. Further supplements are planned to cover the early war and other  theatres of conflict under the heading Crush the Kaiser.

Review: Mike Evans, 'Old-school gaming the Indian Mutiny - The Devil’s Wind'.

A look at some very straight-forward new rules for the Indian Mutiny period... a nostalgic new ruleset.

Review: Eoghan Kelly, '17th century folklore and superstition meets historical wargames rules Witchfinder General Days of Revelation'.

Pike and shot warfare collides with Gothic horror in this new RPG-like wargame.

Column: Richard Clarke, 'Up front'.

Warfare is a complex business, and modelling it is a complicated task. Or at least it should be, if it is done well. This doesn’t mean that wargames rules should, therefore, be complicated. But, if we abandon the traditional foundations of wargames design, then we are left with something very different and, frankly, bland.